Cherry Blossoms of Love
by kyuuketsuneko
Summary: Seiju x Usaki. This is a one-shot made of two parts:  Part 1 fills in what happened between the time where Usaki says he's annoyed at himself & the time when Kenshin finds them.  Part 2 takes place at the same time as 'The Reason Why'.  WARNING: Fluff.


The part from 'you're not angry' to 'to think he has such a gentle side to him too' is directly taken from the manga. The part when Kashiwabara Kenshin & co. find the sleeping pair is also directly taken from the manga. The part where Shouta appears is taken from 'The Reason Why' (but edited so that it is angled towards Usaki & Seiju). A timeline of how the one-shots are connected will eventually be provided.

~X~

"You're not angry? Even though I did something crazy?" asked Seiju as Usaki helped him up.

"… I _am_ angry," retorted the blonde with a perfectly straight face.

"Eh?"

"But at myself… Captain Mikoshiba had warned me, yet I stopped watching you and fell asleep instead. Because of that…" Usaki gave a concerned smile.

"Oh…" 

_To think he has such a gentle side to him, too…_

"Thanks for saving me. It's always you saving me," Seiju laughed (then winced when the vibration caused his arm to hurt). "I'm starting to feel like a damsel in distress."

"Well…" Usaki began but looked away, his cheeks flushed.

"What?" teased Seiju, "were you going to say something like 'you're my damsel in distress'?"

His look said it all.

"Seriously? That kind of line is so out of date!"

_But that's kind of cute of him…_ thought Seiju.

"… and that's why I didn't say it," huffed the blonde.

Seiju held back his laughter. After all, it was rude to laugh at others.

"Don't make fun of me!" whined Usaki, his face the colour of a ripe tomato.

"I wasn't! I just thought that…"

"That?" inquired the blonde pointedly.

"That you were kind of cute," murmured Seiju.

"Huh?"

"I said 'I thought you were kind of cute'."

Toudou Usaki stared at Shikibu Seiju for a good minute before the facts registered.

"Does that mean you like me?"

"You could take it that way."

"Vice-Cap-hey, did you fall asleep?" asked the blonde. He didn't receive a reply. He sighed. Undoubtedly, Seiju was the only person he knew who could fall asleep on his feet.

He gently laid the older man down before searching for a blanket. He managed to find a large piece of fabric that may have once been used to cover cargo, spreading it over both of them. He cushioned the long-haired man's head with his shoulder and leaned against the wall, keeping watch until Kenshin arrived.

But, as one would expect of Usaki, he fell asleep.

~X~

"Hey… did something happen?"

"Don't know…"

"The Vice-Captain is sleeping…"

"Good thing it's the cherry blossoms that are falling and all, but what if spears had fallen instead?"

"Shh…"

"Let's go slow so we don't wake them up."

"Yeah."

~X~

After work, Usaki and Seiju were planning to go on their first date together. It was a joyous day… if not for the murderous atmosphere their captain was emitting.

"Ne, Captain, what's wrong?" asked Seiju, with his almost-too happy voice.

"…"

Usaki quickly put a hand on Seiju's shoulder and gave him a look. The other man shut up immediately. It was better to let sleeping dogs lie.

~X~

"So what do you think?" asked Seiju, swinging his legs back and forth like an overexcited three-year-old.

"Hm… the atmosphere and food are both very nice," replied Usaki, munching down his fried shrimp.

"Should we try the restaurant down the road next time?" offered the black-haired man, removing the bones from his salmon. 

"Sure."

"…"

"…*munch munch*"

"… err… so, um? Er… how has your day been?" asked Seiju, breaking the awkward silence.

"You spent the whole day with me. You should know."

"Oh, right. I knew that. Um… err… what's your favourite colour?" he asked, putting some salmon in his mouth.

"Don't have one," replied the blonde factually, continuing to demolish his plate of shrimps.

"Er… favourite food?"

"Don't have one."

"Favourite T.V. show?"

"I don't watch T.V."

"Favourite movie?"

"Don't have one."

"Um… favourite animal?"

"I don't like animals."

"Oh. In that case, what do you like?"

"You."

"Er… anything else?"

"Iori."

"Apart from people?"

"Reading."

"What type of books do you like to read?"

"Any."

"Um… is there anything you particularly dislike?"

"White," Usaki took another bite, "hospitals with their stuck-up doctors, sludge, mud, rain, drugs, the Ghetto and lettuce."

"… lettuce?"

Seiju's mental image of hand-feeding lettuce to a white bunny disappeared.

"It's tasteless and it's just there."

"Oh."

The remainder of the dinner went on in silence. Seiju sat dejectedly, staring at his salad (which naturally contained Usaki's hated lettuce). Little did he know, Usaki was not being cold to him at all…

"Well," said Seiju, getting up to leave, "thanks for having dinner with me."

"Mm."

"I'll be going now."

"Oh."

"And thanks for the date."

"Mm…"

Noticing the younger man's strange expression, Seiju couldn't help but pry.

"Usaki-kun?"

"Hm?"

"Don't tell me this is your first date ever?"

"…"

As usual, his tomato-coloured face said it all.

"… are you telling me that in all of your nineteen years, you have never gone out with anyone, let along kissed anyone?"

"…"

"… well, that explains it."

"Explains what?"

Seiju grinned and sighed playfully.

"I guess I'll have to teach you what to do on dates."

"Like what?"

"Like this."

Seiju grabbed the younger man's tie, pulling him into a light kiss.

"Well, goodnight Usaki-kun. Sleep well."

Blushing furiously, Usaki couldn't even stammer out a farewell.

_Oh, he's so fun to tease._


End file.
